how not to be loving

While the title of this entry might result in a resounding "well duh" as you read it, sometimes stating the obvious can be educational. Since I am still wrestling with a particularly mountainous topic, my ears have been open as always for interesting things to point out to my friendly readers. So without further ado...

First Church of the Ambivalent -- Steve Chastain, StupidChurchPeople.com

There are some things in there that I completely agree with, but overall I think it serves mainly as a great reminder to Christians that we can sometimes be the worst hypocrites out there. Firstly, I don't necessarily condone the consumeristic mentality of church shopping (i.e. looking for a church that perfectly meets your needs for a certain look/feel/theology/etc, thereby making church all about you), but I do believe in finding a community that you fit into well (i.e. you are served well, and your gifts meet the needs of that community as well). However, regardless of that situation, our response when people choose to leave can be soul revealing -- and sometimes it is ugly. As for the leaving the church for a time, I agree whole heartedly, so long as there is a reason and a purpose. What is it that people say, when you start to get depressed/bored in the daily grind, it might be time to break up the routine for a while? Besides, sometimes the most beneficial soul searching is done when we can isolate ourselves for a time.